A Change of Plan

The Seashore

 "Ann, so nice to see you're having some time away from Halifax. The sea air will do you good," Mrs. Hornsby said. She hugged her grand-niece, then held her at arm's length, marveling at the way the pretty pink dress brought out the color in her cheeks.

"Thank you, Aunt. I did have a small change of plan, I hope you don't mind." Miss Walker looked over her shoulder as Anne Lister led her coachman from the carriage with their belongings. They were only planning to stay a few days, but Miss Walker couldn't decide which of her dresses to bring. There were some that had elicited secret smiles of approval from Miss Lister, and there were others she was hoping would. Her finest gown, a dark blue silk that fell off her shoulders, was in one of those boxes. Miss Walker hoped that wearing it would make Miss Lister speechless.

She'd been thinking of it day and night since their lips had almost touched in the sitting room the Tuesday before last. Back at Crow Nest, her aunt chided her at the dinner table more than once for letting her thoughts wander. And did they wander. She wasn't entirely sure what more she and Anne could do besides kissing, but she had heard stories of men and women together, and she knew there were other parts she liked to touch beneath the folds of her dress when she thought of Miss Lister in her top hat and fine coat.

"Mrs. Walker, how do you do?" Anne shook her aunt's hand with a confidence that made Miss Walker weak in the knees. How she loved that voice, self-assured and honest. She could curl up inside Anne's arms and listen to her talk all day. She felt safe when Anne was around.

"My, this is a surprise, indeed," Mrs. Walker said as she returned Miss Lister's handshake. "I'll have George prepare a room for you. George?" she called out before either woman could stop her. They hadn't discussed it, but Miss Walker was hoping Anne might stay the night in her room.

"Thank you for your kindness. He can put all of these packages in Miss Walker's room," Anne said.

Miss Walker beamed and looked between her grand-aunt and Miss Lister. This holiday was already off to a happy start.

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"I love the sea air. I feel free, don't you, Annie?"

Miss Walker blushed at the new nickname and at Anne's closeness. They stood near a rocky outcrop at the sea's edge. She wanted to tell Anne about how she and her cousins always ran atop the rocks and played hide and seek out here, but Miss Lister made her nervous. She could never seem to find her voice.

"Everything alright?" Anne asked.

"Mmhmm," she replied, looking out over the water.

"The wind's blowing your hair out of place. Here, let me fix it." Anne reached over to Miss Walker's face to brush away some strands of hair, and the moment Anne's fingers touched her skin, Miss Walker stepped back. "Have I hurt you?" Anne asked.

"Um, no, of course not. I used to run barefoot on these rocks when I was little. Would you like to?" Miss Walker hurriedly removed her shoes and her stockings. The air across her legs felt divine and she scrambled up one of the rocks. Something in Anne's touch made her stomach flip, and she wasn't sure she could handle it with her fragile disposition.

Miss Lister removed her shoes and hiked up her skirt to sit on an adjacent rock. "A shame I haven't any pants with me," she said.

Miss Walker's cheeks heated as she imagined Anne in pants. They would hug her in all the right places and show off the bulge everybody said she had. Miss Walker desperately wanted to find out if that was true. She wasn't sure if she was hoping there would be one or not. It didn't matter, she dreamt of their skin touching each other, everywhere, bulges or not.